Officials in Beirut say overnight clashes leave 6 injured

Oct. 21, 2012: Lebanese protesters are enveloped in tear gas as they pull a barbed-wire barrier during clashes after the funeral of Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan who was assassinated on Friday by a car bomb in Beirut, Lebanon.
(AP2012)

The officials say troops managed to separate the gunmen and calm returned Monday morning to the two neighborhoods in the capital where fighting had erupted.

The officials also reported heavy overnight clashes in the northern city of Tripoli. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media.

Lebanon has been boiling since Friday after an anti-Syrian top intelligence official was assassinated in a Beirut car bombing. The assassination has threatened to shatter the country's fragile political balance.

Many politicians have blamed Syria for the killing and angry protesters tried to storm the government palace after Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan funeral on Sunday.